Armstrong's Education and Career
Neil Armstrong's first elementary school he attended was Gates Elementary in Wakapento, Ohio. In 1947, at age 17, Neil attended Purdue University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1955. However, before this in 1949, Armstrong was called to active duty with the navy and earned his jet pilot wings at Pensacola Air Station in Florida. At 20 years old, he was the youngest pilot in his squadron. Armstrong flew seventy-eight combat missions during the Korean War and as a military and civilian pilot he flew over two hundred models of aircraft. He later received an invitation from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to participate in the American space-flight program but showed little interest in becoming an astronaut because his real interest was in flying planes.
In 1962 Armstrong decided to become an astronaut and applied for NASA selection and training. In September of 1962 he became America's first nonmilitary astronaut and was a part of the second group of men chosen by NASA to become astronauts. Later on March 16,1966, Armstrong, the command pilot of Gemini 8, performs the first space docking between spacecraft along with pilot David Scott. On July 16, 1969, at 9:32 A.M., Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the Apollo 11 mission. On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 P.M., the three-man crew land on the moon and Armstrong takes the first step on the moon's surface. With more than one billion people watching worldwide, Armstrong proclaims, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Aldrin and Armstrong spend roughly two and a half hours collecting lunar material, conducting experiments, and taking photographs. The two later rejoin Collins in the craft and get ready to head back to Earth. Finally, on July 24,1969, the Apollo 11 crew and craft land in the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii. Everyone and everything are picked up by the U.S.S Hornet, yet the three astronauts were put into quarantine for three weeks for safety measures. In 1970,Armstrong was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for aeronautics in the ARPA but resigned from this and NASA in 1971. After this, Armstrong later taught at the University of Cincinnati as University Professor of Aerospace Engineering for eight years until resigning in 1979. Armstrong became a spokesperson after these jobs and was even a voice actor for a movie in 2010.
In 1962 Armstrong decided to become an astronaut and applied for NASA selection and training. In September of 1962 he became America's first nonmilitary astronaut and was a part of the second group of men chosen by NASA to become astronauts. Later on March 16,1966, Armstrong, the command pilot of Gemini 8, performs the first space docking between spacecraft along with pilot David Scott. On July 16, 1969, at 9:32 A.M., Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the Apollo 11 mission. On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 P.M., the three-man crew land on the moon and Armstrong takes the first step on the moon's surface. With more than one billion people watching worldwide, Armstrong proclaims, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Aldrin and Armstrong spend roughly two and a half hours collecting lunar material, conducting experiments, and taking photographs. The two later rejoin Collins in the craft and get ready to head back to Earth. Finally, on July 24,1969, the Apollo 11 crew and craft land in the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii. Everyone and everything are picked up by the U.S.S Hornet, yet the three astronauts were put into quarantine for three weeks for safety measures. In 1970,Armstrong was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for aeronautics in the ARPA but resigned from this and NASA in 1971. After this, Armstrong later taught at the University of Cincinnati as University Professor of Aerospace Engineering for eight years until resigning in 1979. Armstrong became a spokesperson after these jobs and was even a voice actor for a movie in 2010.